Alpha Borough Council tonight delayed a vote to demolish the municipal pool while officials try to figure out an alternative.

Mayor Ed Hanics said he wants council members, officials from other municipalities, residents and volunteers to meet within a month. They need to figure out whether Greenwich and Pohatcong townships will participate in the pool's operation and at what cost, he said.

Officials from Greenwich and Pohatcong attended the meeting to listen to the discussion without committing to finance the pool.

During a lengthy public comment session, several residents spoke in favor of reopening the pool. A few council members and borough employees are reluctant to resurrect the pool because of its unprofitable past.

Melissa Wright said she drives her 5- and 12-year-old children to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in South Whitehall Township during the summer months because Lopatcong Township's pool is too expensive. A local pool would be a place for them to reunite with their friends when school is out, she said.

"We'd much rather stay in town. That's for sure," Wright said. "There's so many new families in town that could frequent the pool."

Councilman Tom Seiss asked council to consider his resolution to fill in the pool and use the surrounding area for volleyball courts. The plan also proposes a dog park just south of an already fenced-in area. The pavilion would be rented to residents and the snack bar upgraded and rented for a fee, according to Seiss' plan.

Seiss said he was glad to see some movement on the issue.

"I guess I accomplished what I wanted to do and that was to get it off of square one," Seiss said.

Seiss said he based his proposal on facts. The pool has never been self-sustaining and residents don't want to pay for its operation out of the general fund, he said.

An estimate from Mountain Lake Pool & Patio indicated it would cost at least $175,000 to repair. That didn't account for volunteer labor. Councilman Louis Cartabona said at the previous rate, user fees would generate about $200,000 a season. A certified pool operator in another town told Cartabona labor costs would be $75,000, but he didn't know how much chemicals would cost, he said.

Because the pool is on a Green Acres site, Alpha can't charge residents
from other municipalities substantially more than its own residents for
admission, Chief Financial Officer Lorraine Rossetti said.

Councilman Millard Rooks
questioned if and why Cartabona distributed a 20-page proposal to
officials from other municipalities before Alpha council had a chance to
review it. Cartabona responded that he believed distributing it to all of council
would violate the Open Public Meetings Act.

The local Police Benevolent Association's offer to provide licensed
electrical and carpentry work stands, officer Ryan Sokolowski said. Police
would also help with lawn care if it would be helpful, he said.

Supervised juvenile offenders may be able to help with tasks such as painting, Sokolowski said.

"We want nothing in return," Sokolowski said when Rooks asked what the police wanted for their efforts. "We feel that giving back to the community is a big part of law enforcement service."